SunRail

The first nationally celebrated Earth Day was held in 1970 and next Saturday, April 23rd, we will continue the tradition of recognizing how humans play an important role in the future of our habitat, the Earth. The Orlando Science Center will be celebrating Earth Day looking at how science can help us to conserve energy and protect our environment.

In honor of Earth Day, I thought it would be appropriate to take a look at something very small which has had a big impact on our environment in the last few years: bottled water.

Bottled water can cost anywhere from 1 to 6 cents per ounce, but tap water costs about 5 cents per gallon. Interestingly enough, many bottling companies get their water from the same place we central Floridians do, the Florida Aquifer. So, what’s the difference between the tap water and bottled water? A bottle.

Some non-Florida natives, like me, will say there is quite a difference and it comes in the form of smell. Florida’s aquifers naturally filter the water so that it is amazingly clean even before it is pumped out. But there are sulfurous mineral deposits which give natural springs a distinctive smell. However OUC, the company which provides water to most of Orlando, has a process specifically designed to remove this sulfur smell by using ozone. Even if there is a little smell left over, it can be easily taken care of with a faucet-attached water filter. This makes it very easy to grab a reusable water bottle and fill it before leaving the house.

So, that leaves us with a plastic bottle. Plastic will takes hundreds of years to biodegrade but can be recycled. However, even Zephyrhills notes on its packaging that less than 25% of water bottles get recycled. To do our part, the Science Center provides green colored bins outside of each elevator just for recycling.

This Saturday, come celebrate Earth Day with us and learn more about how to reduce, reuse and recycle. And if you’re interested in learning more about bottled water in Florida, check out the original article in the Orlando Sentinel titled “Water Everywhere: Which is for You?” by Kevin Spear.

Stephanie is a Science Interpreter at the Science Center and often is found in Dino Digs or Careers for Life. Paleontology, Anthropology and Anatomy are her passion and jumps at every opportunity to talk about it. Stop in and say Hello!

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